Joseph So La Scena Musicale March 29, 2023 With Easter just around the corner, we are at the height of the oratorio season. Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s offering this year was Bach’s great B Minor Mass. It was a large and enthusiastic audience gathered last evening at Koerner Hall, where they were treated to a superlative...
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is delighted to announce their 2023/2024 season under the artistic direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée. Highlights of the upcoming season include two major choral masterworks: Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, which features the TMChoir with a full orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall, and Verdi’s haunting Requiem at both Koerner Hall and George Weston...
Joseph So Ludwig Van March 22, 2023 Toronto classical music lovers found their cup truly runneth over this past week, given the veritable feast of terrific concert offerings in our city. The musical omnivore that I am, I attended one every day — except on Saturday, when I managed to squeeze in two. My...
The program notes are written by Rena Roussin, Musicologist-in-Residence. Hailed by Bach expert Christoph Wolff as Bach’s “musical and artistic creed,” the Mass in b minor is deservedly considered one of the most innovative and insightful works in the history of classical music. Yet in spite of its frequent performances and the extensive amount of...
operaramblings March 20, 2023 On Saturday evening the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers gave a very beautiful, carefully constructed and thought provoking concert. To start with it was at the Church of the Holy Trinity which, as most Torontonians will know, is a sort of social hub servicing the spiritual and material needs of Toronto’s homeless...
The program notes are written by Rena Roussin, Musicologist-in-Residence. Described by TMChoir leadership as a “musical vigil drawing awareness to the problems of hunger and homelessness in our city,” the repertoire of tonight’s concert spans numerous time periods and musical styles, but is unified by shared themes. All of tonight’s musical pieces inspire reflection or...
February 27, 2023—Toronto Mendelssohn Choir presents Little Match Girl Passion—a musical vigil drawing awareness to the problems of hunger and homelessness in our city. The TMChoir partners with Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity and Unity Kitchen, leaders for this important cause in our community, for this presentation. The TMSingers, the Choir’s professional chamber ensemble,...
Leslie Barcza barczablog January 12, 2023 The headline is only partly in jest. Yes it was the best concert so far in 2023, as of January 11th. Many are still saying “Happy New Year” and writing the wrong date on cheques (if they even write cheques anymore). But it was truly brilliant. The Toronto...
Joseph So La Scena Musicale January 12, 2023 January is Mozart Month at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. To mark the 267th anniversary of the birthday of the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan 27, 1756 – Dec. 5, 1791), the TSO is giving four performances of his incomparable Requiem Mass. The story behind its genesis is very...